Xi-Biden meeting a ‘milestone’, Chinese envoy Xie Feng says on ping-pong diplomacy anniversary

‘There’s no reason why competitors cannot also be friends,’ Chinese ambassador Xie says, calling for good sportsmanship in bilateral relations
The comments come as the two sides mark 52 years since historic China trip by American table tennis delegation

US-China relations

Khushboo Razdan

Published: 3:19pm, 14 Dec 2023

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History will show that the meeting between the US and Chinese presidents in San Francisco last month was not merely a “highlight” in China-US ties this year but a “milestone” in the decades-old relationship with far-reaching influence on peace and development.

That was the assessment Beijing’s ambassador to Washington Xie Feng delivered on Wednesday, calling for more exchanges between the two countries.

The San Francisco meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders in a year. During the talks, the two sides reached agreements on fentanyl trafficking, military communications and artificial intelligence.

The visit was also Xi’s first to the US since 2017, when he was hosted by then president Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

“The summit has consolidated the momentum towards stabilising China-US relations and injected much-needed certainty and stability into this turbulent and fluid world,” Xie said at an event marking 52 years of “ping-pong diplomacy”.

American table tennis players, including Connie Sweeris (far right), attend a meeting during their 1971 trip to China, the first by a US delegation after the founding of the People’s Republic. Photo: AP

In 1971, nine American table tennis players became the first US delegation to visit China since the Communist Party had come to power, paving the way for the establishment of official diplomatic ties in 1979 following a period of isolation and distrust. Those initial informal exchanges are referred to as ping-pong diplomacy.

Xie noted that while in San Francisco, Xi said China and the US must “jointly manage disagreements effectively, jointly advance mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly shoulder responsibilities as major countries and jointly promote people-to-people exchanges”.

In recent years, China-US tensions have risen sharply, starting with Trump’s imposition of unilateral tariffs on Chinese imports followed by Washington’s de-risking efforts and restrictions on tech exports under the Biden administration.

Xie called for good sportsmanship in bilateral relations, noting that athletic competition was about “respecting and learning from each other to make progress together” as well as abiding by the rules and ensuring fair play.

He said one should not “tie the hands” of competitors or “deny others the opportunity to be part of the game”, but should focus on self-improvement and playing by “the rules of the game” rather than “bringing down others” or “ganging up”.

“There’s no reason why competitors cannot also be friends,” Xie said, stressing that it was necessary to “draw wisdom” from ping-pong diplomacy.

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Also attending the event were Connie Sweeris and her husband Dell Sweeris – two of the nine table tennis players who took part in the historic trip to China.

Recalling how the visit broke down “a lot of barriers and promoted communication and understanding between our two peoples”, Connie Sweeris said that despite differences, “we can be friends”.

Jan Berris, who served as assistant cultural affairs officer at the US consulate in Hong Kong in 1971, described the exchange as an important “turning point” for the two countries.

Berris, who is now vice-president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, a New York-based non-profit organisation, said she hoped the “positive effects” of the Xi-Biden meeting would offer another opportunity for the US and China to work together and “forge a strong, a stable and a mutually respectful relationship”.